Textile artists

  Born in 1930, Phyllis Ojibway is a 95-year-old boarding school survivor, seamstress, and educator from Naytahwaush, Minnesota, on the White Earth Reservation. Her life’s work is rooted in resilience, care, and the passing on of knowledge through both teaching and making.

For decades, Phyllis worked as a seamstress and educator, sewing clothing and quilts that reflect both necessity and beauty. Her quilts are more than functional objects—they are records of family history, survival, and care. 

Today, Phyllis’s work stands as a testament to the strength of Anishinaabe women and the quiet ways culture survives. Her quilts and garments continue to offer comfort, tell stories, and remind us that creativity is a form of resistance, and healing.

I was born and raised in Naytahwaush. I am now a retired school teacher living in the Roy Lake area. I taught students in Bagley and Pine Point. 

The first quilt I made was a hand stitched crazy quilt that my grandma Swiers guided me through. My first sewing machine was one I ordered from Sears and Roebuck catalog. It weighted a ton!

My mom taught me how to make baby star quilts and they are my favorite quilts to sew. 

This quilt reminds me of the Southwest where my husband and I used to winter.

Melissa is an accomplished contemporary artist from the White Earth Nation specializing in beadwork, jewelry, and native fashion design.  She is an inspired artist who creates a range of original pieces across a variety of artistic mediums.

You can find her work at regional and national exhibitions and shows.  She is a recipient of the First People's Fund Community Spirit Award and the Service to Community Award for Outstanding Contributions.

Courtney Bunker is an Anishinaabe artist from the White Earth Nation. Working across both traditional and contemporary mediums, her artistic practice is rooted in community, healing, and cultural continuity. She specializes in black ash basket weaving, birchbark basketry and jewelry, beadwork, quillwork, and regalia sewing, while also creating original digital artwork inspired by Ojibwe floral design.

Courtney has spent years learning directly from elders on the reservation, like Clyde Estey Jr., Shannon Burnette Sr., Phyllis Bunker, and actively participates in cultural and ceremonial spaces. She approaches her work with deep respect for traditional knowledge while intentionally making that knowledge accessible to others. Since 2016, she has offered free cultural classes throughout the community, frequently incorporating Ojibwemowin and emphasizing learning through listening, helping, and showing up in a good way.

In addition to her traditional work, Courtney is a self-taught digital artist and the owner of Niibidoon LLC, where she creates original designs that appear on apparel. Courtney has also recently received her eminence credentials.

Through her art and teaching, Courtney is committed to uplifting her community, supporting those who are reconnecting, and ensuring that Anishinaabe culture remains living, shared, and thriving.

I was born and raised in the community of Naytahwaush on the White Earth Reservation.  I'm a former elementary teacher where I taught at Pine Point and Waubun-Ogema-White Earth schools.  I learned how to sew from my mother and grandmother at a young age and I've been sewing ever since.  My first beading project was a daisy chain that I learned from Ms. Lafriniere while going to school in Naytahwaush.  I enjoy beading and sewing in my leisure time.